Not Quite
by alohamora080
Summary: Draco and Astoria's first encounter is not quite what Draco wanted it to be. First Place in HedwigBlack's "Almost Kiss" Competition.


29 November 1997

"For Merlin's sake, Pansy, leave me alone!"

Draco could hardly contain his anger as he swept down the hallway towards the library, Pansy Parkinson still hot on his trail. He was finding it increasingly difficult to rid himself of her unpleasant presence this year. No matter how many excuses he made, the pug-faced girl always managed to find him, one way or another. This evening was no exception. He'd mumbled an excuse to Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini the moment he'd seen her enter the Great Hall, but her hawk-like gaze had followed him all the way to third floor.

"Draco, please," Pansy whined, catching his wrist. "You're being so ridiculous this year—"

"Oh, _I'm_ being ridiculous?" Draco snapped, yanking his wrist out of her uncomfortably tight grip. He snorted, his grey eyes glinting coldly. "Says the girl who's been trailing behind me like a lost puppy for two months. Honestly, Pansy, I'm starting to think you'd follow me into the shower, if you could."

A flicker of desire lit up Pansy's squat face, and Draco turned aside, disgusted.

"No, Draco—wait," Pansy whimpered, flinging her arms around him and letting out a large, fake sob. "I didn't mean to be a bother—I only wondered why you were treating me so coldly—you—you've barely spoken a word to me since the start of term—"

"Well, then, maybe you should take a hint," Draco snarled, and Pansy released him, terror evident in her beady black eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but Draco cut her off. "I don't _want_ to talk to you, Pansy. I don't want to see you—or talk to you—or—anything!"

They had reached the library steps, now. And, swiftly, Draco stalked up to the large wooden doors, clenching the the brass doorknob so firmly that his knuckles turned a deathly shade of white. Then, he flung the door open and slipped inside, not even flinching as the door slammed shut behind him with an unfortunately resounding BANG.

Ignoring the flashes of irritation crossing the faces of the studying students, and Madam Pince's growl of fury, Draco quickly sidled past rows and rows of bookshelves, not pausing until he had reached the very back of the room. Then, with a half-exasperated, half-exhausted sigh, he leaned back against the library's cool wall, his eyes drifting closed.

"You were quite rude to her, you know."

Draco jumped violently, whirling around in alarm. A mass of thick, shining black hair; long eyelashes; dark, glittering eyes. The girl was eyeing him calculatingly, her lips curved into a slight frown. Draco thought she looked vaguely familiar.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"You were rude," the girl told him firmly. "To Parkinson. I could hear you two arguing from the all the way over here."

Immediately, Draco's expression morphed into one of annoyance. And, suddenly, all he could think about was how this younger girl had absolutely no right to talk to him in such a way. "You don't know the half of it," he said shortly, glaring at her.

The girl's brows arched. "Oh, believe me, I do."

"No, you—"

"Please, Draco." She rolled her eyes. "Do you think nobody's noticed the way the cow's been following you around since the day she met you? But, that does not give you the right to talk to her like that, however much everyone—I mean, er—_you_ might not like her."

Draco blinked in disbelief, feeling strangely like a little child who had just been told off for being unkind. It had been several years since anyone had taken such a condescending tone with him; his own parents had never been so sharp. So, it came as quite a shock to him indeed that this girl—whom he barely knew—had absolutely no hesitations about telling him exactly what she thought.

He shook his head slowly. "Who are you?" he wanted to know.

"I'm Astoria."

A glimmer of recognition wafted through his brain. "You're Daphne Greengrass's little sister, aren't you?"

He'd heard tales of Daphne Greengrass's little sister, and all of them had portrayed the girl in an undeniably poor light. But, then again, all of the stories had been told to him by Pansy Parkinson, and, accordingly, he'd opted to think nothing of them.

Nevertheless, as Draco gazed, still feeling somewhat affronted, at the raven-haired girl in front of him, he was beginning to feel as though Pansy's accusations had had more than an inch of truth in them, after all.

"Yes," Astoria said stiffly. Then, she flashed him a wicked smile. "Why? What does the lovely Miss Parkinson have to say about me?"

Draco's mouth grew dry. "Noth—nothing," he stammered, eyes widening slightly.

"There's no need to hide anything." Astoria's eyes were twinkling. "I know she detests me."

Draco was speechless. And, although he found it hard to believe, he was already beginning to like the witty, vivacious Greengrass girl.

"She might detest you," Draco said finally, slipping into the seat opposite her. "But, I don't."

Astoria raised her eyebrows, the smallest of smiles surfacing at full, coral lips. "Thank you." She paused. "And, you're not as bad as everyone thinks either, I guess."

Draco barked out a wry laugh. "If only that were true."

Astoria stared at him, and Draco couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortably. "You can always make it true."

He said nothing, turning instead to the pile of parchments Astoria had neatly arranged in front of her. "What are you working on?"

Astoria's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer, before she to turned to stare at the stack of papers before her. "Potions homework," she sighed. "Slughorn's given me loads of remedial work. I'm barely passing."

"Need any help?" Draco asked keenly, holding a hand out. "Potions is my best subject—"

"I—no, thank you," Astoria interrupted swiftly. "I can manage."

Draco froze, feeling horrified with himself. Then, he shrunk back in his seat, disappointed. It was cruel, he decided, that the first person he had considered opening up to—in over a year—had shot him down without hesitation.

A long, uncomfortable silence was beginning to unfold over the library table. Draco wanted to leave. He wanted to run away from the library, away from Astoria.

But, before he could move a muscle— "Actually, I…I could use some feedback on this essay," a small voice informed him from across the table.

Draco looked up, diverted. Astoria was holding a piece of parchment out towards him, looking uncharacteristically tentative. And, he didn't know whether he was imagining it, but there was just a gleam of guilt in her expression—towards her previous retort, Draco realized, with a jolt of happiness.

So, he reached out for the essay at once. And, in his enthusiasm to help her, Draco leaned forward so quickly that his chair tipped forward.

The effects were instantaneous.

Draco lurched towards the table, swiping at air for a second, before managing to plant his hands on the table—precisely on top of Astoria's.

They were so close. They were so close that Draco could count every eyelash, every freckle.

Her lips, full and pink, loomed tantalizingly before him.

He could have kissed her.

And, for a moment, he was struck by how badly he wanted to.

Astoria jerked backwards abruptly, eyes wide. She gaped at him, lost for words, and Draco wondered whether, perhaps, his desire to kiss her had been palpable in his expression.

But, he never had the chance to ask her, for, the very next instant, she had hurried to her feet, collected her possessions, and fled from the table.

And, Draco was left alone, staring at the stretch of blank wall in front of him.

* * *

Good Lord, I've missed you all SO MUCH! So sorry for the lack of activity on FF. I've been really busy this summer, and, well, I've had to shelve a lot of things I love, FanFiction included.

I'm NOT proud of it!

Anyway, I hope this little one-shot made up for it! This was written for HedwigBlack's "Almost Kiss" Competition, and it occurred during the beginning of the 1997-1998 school year, off when Harry and the gang were off hunting for Horcruxes. This would have been Draco and Astoria's first real encounter, around a year before they became a couple (which, in my head-canon, only happened after the war).

Yours sincerely,  
Alohamora


End file.
